When Darkness Comes
by ChEmMiE
Summary: It was something she never wanted Tali to experience, and now Ziva has to figure out how to deal with it all. (Deals with dark themes, and Ziva never died).
1. Prologue

**This idea hit me maybe a year ago, and I started writing it. Then lots of stuff happened and I got a dog etc, and I forgot all about it. Two days ago I found it on my computer and decided I want to finish it! (I have quite a lot of the beginning written, and the past few days I wrote a lot for the end... now I'm only missing the middle, which is actually the scenes and dialogues that wrote themselves in my head to start with! Funny how THOSE are always the ones hardest to write down.. Now I'm thinking that perhaps posting the first few chapters will help me get that written as well ;) )**

 **Basically, the idea for this fic came from wondering how Ziva would deal with certain event. It was so clear in my head, but of course it never comes out that way on paper! Hope it isn't too OOC, though!**

 **Deals with some dark themes, but nothing graphic.**

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The feeling of her feet pounding against the ground below her was probably one of her favorite things in the world. Even now, with the weather starting to turn. She didn't mind the cold air on her face or the chilly wind picking up the fallen leaves around her, or the way every breath she exhaled left a slight mist in front of her.

It was nice. Refreshing. And though she'd never tell her mom, she though she might actually prefer it over the sticky heat of the hot summer months.

She couldn't remember a time when she didn't run. Even as a toddler. She'd seen the pictures of her parents pushing her along in one of those smart running strollers on their morning runs, and her dad still teased her about how she'd always beg them to bring her as soon as she outgrew it, something they could rarely ever refuse.

And now, many years later, they no longer had to cut their route short or slow down for her to keep up.

She loved their weekend trips to the woods or national parks, running along the trails with her family, surrounded by the fresh air and the beautiful nature. And with her parents' sometimes very hectic jobs, joining her mom for her morning runs provided a chance for the two of them to have some mother-daughter time. Not that they'd always talk all that much on these runs; but even then, she still treasured it. There was just something special about that comfortable silence as they ran together, caught up in something they both loved.

Running alone, however, would always be her favorite. Especially after a long day at school. She'd escape into her own little world of nothingness. Not that she _needed_ an escape. But letting go of all thoughts and simply letting her feet follow the beat of the music in her ears, it always brought her such a feeling of complete calmness and control. And the aching muscles in her legs after having pushed herself never failed to bring a smile to her lips.

Skipping to the next song, one with a faster beat, she picked up the pace as she started the last lap in the park. She always stuck to the path which brought her through the middle of the park, around the picnic area and to the large playground to the side, making up for the shorter distance by repeating it a few times.

They were likely just being overprotective, but her dad had refused to let her run on her own until she promised to stick to the open, most populated areas of the park.

When she'd asked them if she could run the 6-mile route to the park and back by herself once school let out for the summer the year before, they hadn't exactly been happy about it. Her mother had been the first to agree, though, after checking the route herself, and her dad had given up arguing after that. Apparently, she'd inherited her mom's annoying stubbornness, and he knew it would be a lot cause to try to change their minds.

It wasn't until this year, however, that she'd been allowed to continue her runs after school once fall came. They hadn't been thrilled about that either, but she knew just how to work that combination of the puppy eyes she learned from her dad and the stubbornness and determination she got from her mom. It had taken her two entire days of working her magic before he finally caved, unable to deny that yes, she was a teenager now.

The memory of him ruffling her hair brought a smile to her face, just like it had that day as she'd thrown her arms around him. She knew they just wanted her to be safe, and that their over-protectiveness stemmed partially from their jobs, and she didn't always mind. Being a teenager didn't mean she couldn't still be their little girl, as her dad always reminded her. And being showered with affection from him really wasn't all that bad. As long as it wasn't in public!

Feeling the phone vibrate in her pocket, she stopped right at the park exit, jogging slightly in place as she checked the message.

" _Hey Princess, work got crazy. Would you be terribly upset if we're both home late today? Mom promises to make that veggie lasagna tomorrow instead. (She forced me to write that.. Evil health nuts!)"_

She let out a quick chuckle, imagining her dad's disgusted face at the idea of her favorite dish. She knew they had very important jobs and that before she was born, they basically lived in the office. They'd been good at balancing their working hours for her, however, and even though she was now old enough to be alone for a few hours after school, they tried to make sure that at least one of them always got home in the late afternoon.

" _No prob. Ice cream for dinner? ;)"_

Placing the phone back in her pocket, she left the park to make her way back home. She was just passing the high school when she felt her phone vibrate again.

" _Your mom vetoed the ice cream :/ Pizza?"_

" _Triple extra pineapples and lots of garlic!"_

She smirked as she sent off the text, knowing he'd probably be as unhappy with that as he was with the veggie lasagna. Noticing the time on the screen, she toyed a bit with the phone before returning it to her windbreaker. It was starting to get dark out, and she was supposed to be back home before the sun set. But the high school had an amazing running track, and she loved trying to push herself by trying to beat her time. Besides, her mother and her had been talking about signing up for the marathon next summer, so she needed all the practice she could get.

And her parents weren't home. They wouldn't notice if she was 20 minutes late.

Knowing the field and the track were empty at this time, she snuck around the side to where she knew the gate was almost always left unlocked, and today was no different. She'd just reached the bleachers when she felt her phone vibrate once again, so she allowed herself to come to a full stop as she pulled it out to check the latest message.

" _Ugh! I swear, sometimes I'm convinced your mom must have had an affair with a yoga instructor or something!"_

Letting out a laugh, she was just about to type in a response when she felt a tap on her shoulder. As she turned around, all she felt was an intense pain in her head before the world went black.

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 **Just a short prologue, but hope you liked it! Let me know? You thoughts always means so much! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next part. Thanks for the follows and favorites! :) And thank you Annausf for her lovely review :)**

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Her stomach hurt. Her head was throbbing and the world was spinning. Her entire body was screaming at her, telling her to curl up even tighter and never move again.

But it was hard to breathe. The ground below her was freezing, and she was unable to prevent the shiver that ran through her body.

She didn't know what time it was. It was dark, and she hadn't even noticed the sun disappearing. After that last kick to her stomach, she'd curled up and closed her eyes and not moved a muscle since. She could have been laying there for a minute or an hour, she wasn't sure.

Had her parents noticed she was missing? Were they home yet?

She knew she had to get up, get away, but her whole body felt like lead. Had she ever hurt like this before? She didn't think so. Not when she cut open her knee after falling off the monkey bars in the 2nd grade, or when she got appendicitis a few years back and they barely managed to remove it before it burst.

No, this felt much worse.

Forcing her eyes open, she tried to take a deep breath. It seemed her body didn't agree with that, however, as another terrible coughing fit took over, leaving her already sore throat burning and gasping for air. She waited until her breathing was mostly back under control before she used her hands to push herself up, closing her eyes once more as she tried to get the extra dizziness to stop from the change in position. It didn't work, though, so without opening her eyes she leaned her weight further onto her hands and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the ground next to her.

When she was mostly sure she was done puking, she pushed herself up the rest of the way so she was kneeling on the ground, bringing her hands up to wipe her mouth.

For the first time she realized that her wrists hurt as well. She wasn't very surprised however, when she saw how the shoelace almost cut through her skin. Bringing her bound, shaking hands back to her face, she desperately tried getting the knot out with her teeth. But it was tight, really tight! And she'd probably only managed to make it tighter herself as she'd struggled.

Frustrated, a tear slipped from her eye, and she angrily wiped it away, wincing as her hands came in contact with her sore cheekbone.

With the pounding in her head continuously getting worse, she gave up on trying to undo the knot. Instead she got her feet underneath her and slowly stood up on unsteady legs, fighting hard not to collapse back onto the ground as pain shot through her lower body, making her knees quiver below her.

Taking a shaky breath, she allowed herself a few seconds to regain her balance before using her still bound hands to fix her clothes as well as possible. The shoelace didn't make it easy, and neither did the terrible headache or the pain in her entire body intensifying at any movement.

Up until now she hadn't even considered looking at her surroundings. But looking around her now, she realized she wasn't sure exactly where she was. She was no longer by the bleachers, but it seemed like she was still on the high school grounds, standing close to one of the brick buildings. She couldn't see any streets, but there were some benches and tables around her, and not far from her were three big trash containers parked against the wall. Perhaps she was close to the school cafeteria?

She almost doubled over from the pain in her stomach and her lower body as she took her first hesitant step. So, abandoning her idea of finding her way back to the bleachers, she instead headed for the much closer brick wall. Sometimes there were janitors or cleaning crews or teachers working late at her own school, so perhaps there were also some at the high school.

As she walked along the side of the school, she looked through every window she passed. She found a double glass door as well, one that led to the cafeteria, but wasn't surprised when it was locked. She was almost ready to give up when she found what appeared to be the employee parking lot, and she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding in when she noticed two cars still parked close to an entrance.

Her legs suddenly felt a bit steadier as she headed in the direction of the entrance. When she got closer and noticed the lights being on in what appeared to be an office, she was barely able to hold back a sob.

The man on the other side of the glass as good as threw the papers in his hand onto the table as she knocked on the window, and before she could really register what was happening, he'd left the office and exited the school building, rushing towards her with worried look on his face.

It took all the strength she had left to look at him and not crumble onto the ground.

"Can you call my parents, please?"

* * *

"I hate uncooperative suspects!"

"I thought you broke him." Letting out a grunt of annoyance, Tony let his forehead fall onto the desk

"I spent five hours in interrogation today with a man who smells like he lives in an ashtray, and then he isn't even our guy." Sounding like he was about to start crying, he barely registered the finger softly tapping his hand on the desk.

"Hey. I'm almost ready. I just need to go brief the director and then we can leave, okay?" He let his head fall to the side so he could look up at the woman standing in front of him, offering him a reassuring smile.

"Good. All I want is to go home, watch a movie and eat pizza with my girls and then sleep for a month." Ziva simply squeezed his hand as a rare sign of affection while at work. The day really had been crazy, and she doubted she'd even make it through a movie before succumbing to sleep herself.

"Be right back."

She was barely out of the bull-pen before his phone started ringing. Not feeling like lifting his head from the desk, he let out a groan as he waited until the third ring before picking it up.

"Special Agent DiNozzo." Shooting up into a seated position, the team leader was suddenly very awake. "What?!" Unable to miss the sudden change, Ziva stalled on the stairs, curious. When he looked up and met her eyes, she knew something was wrong. "What happened? Is she okay?" He flew out of his chair, but even as he frantically picked up his jacked and pulled out his badge and gun from the drawer, Ziva stood frozen in place, unable to move.

It wasn't until he stood in the middle of the bull-pen, one hand on his gun and the other still gripping the phone tightly, pressing it to his ear, that his eyes met hers again. She couldn't even begin to describe the look in his eyes, but she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Where are you taking her?" This time Ziva had no trouble moving, and before she knew it she was back downstairs, picking up her own gun and badge. "No. No, we'll be right there. Tell them to wait." He shut the phone, and Ziva barely managed to follow him into the elevator before the doors closed.

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 **Hope you liked it! Let me know?**  
(Got 1 or 2 chapters more written so far, as well as 2 for later in the story.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all so much for the reviews etc! :)**  
 **This chapter is a lot longer than the previous ones... but I'm not sure how much I like it :/ Wanted to post it for you guys anyways, though! 'Not perfect' is better than no fic/chapter at all, I'm hoping! ;)  
Enjoy!**

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It was like driving with Ziva when she'd first joined the team. Even worse, probably, but Tony didn't even notice. He'd handed her the car keys himself, knowing that she could get them to the hospital much faster than he could. And that was all that mattered right now. Getting to the hospital.

Getting to Tali.

They hadn't been able to tell him much over the phone, and he'd been able to tell Ziva even less. All they knew was that Tali was hurt.

Someone had hurt their baby.

Tony was out of the car before it was even turned off, and with Ziva hot on his heels, it wouldn't surprise him if she hadn't even thought of locking it after them.

"Tali DiNozzo!" He hadn't even waited for the ER receptionist the look up. "We were told she was brought in."

"Where is she?" It was clear that the fire in Ziva's eyes scared the young man behind the counter, but Tony made no move calm either of them down.

"Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo?" Correcting their names wasn't important. The woman who'd addressed them was middle aged, with kind eyes but a serious tone in her voice. A cop.

"Yes."

"This way." She tilted her head, indicating for them to follow her, and they did without a word. "They put her in a private room, as is the standard in all cases like-"

"What the hell happened?" The woman stopped, and when she turned back around to look at them, the sympathetic look in her eyes almost made Tony crumble to the floor. And the way Ziva grabbed his hand and squeezed it with all her power, told him that she likely felt the same dread as him.

"One of the teachers found her at the school. Hands tied and roughed up. She hasn't said much besides asking for you, and as she's still a minor we wanted to wait for you to get here before asking her any questions." Looking around them to make sure they were alone, she fixed them with a much harder stare. "Judging by her visible injuries and the state of her clothing, we're pretty certain she was raped."

He'd been expecting those words. Dreading them, but expecting them nonetheless. Still, however, hearing them spoken out loud hurt more than he'd ever imagined. He wanted to pray they were wrong, that there was a mistake. That it wasn't Tali in there, or that it was all a misunderstanding and that she was at home, safe. But he'd been in this field long enough to know that they likely weren't wrong.

He wanted to scream, to punch something.

To punch some _one_.

Ziva's hand gripping his even tighter seemed to be the only thing keeping him from exploding right then and there.

"We want to see her." Her voice was strong. Steady. And he was ever so thankful that she'd been the one to speak up.

If he'd tried to speak, he'd most likely have ended up breaking down in sobs instead.

"Of course." She motioned towards a door just down the hall, and the comfort of Ziva's hand in his own instantly disappeared as she dashed towards the room holding their daughter.

It was Tali, alright.

She looked so tiny sitting on that white hospital bed, a blanket wrapped tightly around her obviously tense body. The french braids Ziva had done that morning were messy, and a large chunk had fallen out of one of them and was now helping shield her face. Her very pale face.

Another younger police woman sat on a chair next to the bed, speaking softly to the teenager as a nurse carefully cleaned both dried and fresh blood off the side of face and around her eye, offering soothing apologies whenever the girl winced.

"Tali?" Her eyes instantly met his, and it took everything he had not rush to her side, scoop her up and run from this nightmare. Something he wasn't sure she'd appreciate right then.

She was clearly relieved to see them, but the look in her eyes made his insides turn to ice. He wouldn't know how to describe it, but it was a look that would surely haunt him for a long time to come, one that he'd never wanted to see in the eyes of his little girl.

She opened her mouth, but seemed to hesitate before any words came out, choosing instead to bite her already split lip as her gaze slipped from his.

"Baby?" As he took a tentative step towards her she looked back up, a few tears having formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Daddy." Her voice was hoarse. Had she been screaming? Screaming for someone to come help her?

Unable to stay back any longer, he quickly took the last few steps towards her. She never took her eyes off him, and as soon as he squatted down in front of her, she let go of the blanket and threw her arms around his neck.

As she buried her face in his neck, he let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in. He'd been so worried about spooking her, scared that she'd flinch away from him, from any physical presence which got too close. Bringing his arms around her, he tilted his head slightly to the side so his mouth was right by her ear, making sure only she could hear him.

"I've got you, baby. Okay? Daddy's got you now." The only response she gave was to tighten her grip on his neck. Leaving a soft kiss on her hair, he followed her lead. He still didn't know how injured she was and didn't want to hurt her by aggravating any possible injuries, but right now all that mattered was _her_. She was shaking slightly as a few quiet sobs finally escaped her and racked through her body, but she was there.

She was alive, she was breathing, and she was in his arms. She was still there. So he couldn't help but tighten his own grip slightly, protectively, feeling her body move beneath his hands with each breath she took.

Without letting go, he turned his head to look for Ziva. She was still standing just inside the door, seemingly rooted to the floor. A completely unreadable look on her face.

And after all this time, that rarely ever happened. He knew her too well. And he didn't like it.

The raised eyebrows he sent in her direction clearly told her as much, and it seemed to pull her out of her trance. In three long steps she was at their side, sitting down on the bed next to their daughter and placing a hand carefully on the back of her head.

"Ima?" Tali didn't relax her grip around Tony's neck as she turned her head, looking up at her mother from where she was still resting against his shoulder. "I'm sorry." His heart nearly broke at her words. But before he had a chance to tell her she had nothing to apologize for, Ziva had grabbed the sides of her head in both of her hands and gently guided her away from her death grip on Tony. She simply shook her head, and Tony could sense the same turmoil behind her eyes as he felt at the moment.

"Hush, Motek." Using the hands on Tali's head to pull her closer, Ziva leaned in and placed a long, soft kiss on top of her hair. After lingering a few seconds longer than necessary, she replaced her lips with her forehead, still holding Tali close as she whispered reassuringly to her in Hebrew. Tony didn't know what she was saying, but the young girl was nodding, eyes closed as she leaned against her mom.

Pulling away, Ziva gently pushed the loose hair behind Tali's ears, and the girl didn't protest as she started studying her face, taking in every little detail.

The gash above her temple was still bleeding slowly, adding to the already dried blood in the hair. She had a split lip, and the bruise on her cheekbone and around the side of her eye would surely get worse in the following few days.

While Ziva seemed completely stoic as she took in her daughter's beaten features, not giving anything away, Tony had to fight not to throw up right then and there. He hadn't noticed the already very prominent bruises on Tali's neck until now. Hand shaped bruises. Bruises and claw marks.

The though of how those bruises had to have come caused him to instantly grab her hand, probably squeezing it too hard in his need to remind himself that she wasn't dead, but she gave no indication of it hurting her.

"Nurse, is she alright?" Both her and the young female officer were still in the room with them.

"Her vitals are looking okay, but she's got a severe concussion with loss of consciousness, and we're keeping an eye on her throat. The doctor did order a few scans, but we wanted to wait for you to get here before we sent her down and continued our evaluation." He simply nodded, thankful that she had been okay enough to not need any immediate medical attention. "I will go get the doctor. She'll want to talk to you about performing a SAFE kit." The last part was directed at Tony and Ziva, and with a quick, gentle smile aimed at Tali, she left the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo." This time it was the young officer who spoke, as she held out her hand for each of them to shake. "I'm officer Jansen. Morgan." The last part was said to Tali, and Tony appreciated her attempt at trying to make all of this seem less scary. "I'm going to have to ask Tali here a few questions once the doctors are finished, and I was hoping one of you will be there when I do so."

"Of course!" There was no question about it. It was obvious to Tony, however, that she'd said it more for Tali's sake, making sure to look at her often as she spoke.

"May I talk to you outside, officer?" When she nodded, Ziva placed another kiss on Tali's forehead before getting off the bed. "I'll be right back, motek." Tali just nodded, leaning into the hand Tony kept on her back.

Watching her lead the officer out of the room, Tony was still at a loss as for how to read her. And it almost scared him.

* * *

As he made his way through the darkened hallways of the hospital, his knees protesting the very late hour, Gibbs was once again reminded that he wasn't exactly young anymore.

He had been sleeping when Ziva called. Her phone call had been short, to the point. As if it was any other case.

But it wasn't.

He'd moved faster than he had in years, grabbed the few things he needed and left the house without bothering to either change his clothes or turn off the lights. Despite the low amount of traffic in DC in the middle of the night, he'd still managed to break at least half a dozen traffic laws getting here. And he'd have been here earlier if it hadn't been for the few stops he made on the way.

He found Ziva in a mostly deserted hallway. She was leaning against the wall, one foot on the ground and one on the white wall behind her, staring straight ahead with a vacant look in her eyes. Her arms were hanging down along her sides, one hand absentmindedly spinning her phone around.

"Coffee." She almost startled at his voice, not having noticed his approach. Without moving she grabbed the offered cup, talking a long sip of the still burning liquid before turning her head slightly to face her old boss.

Fixing her with a stare, he nodded towards the door a few yards further down, indicating for her to start talking.

"Grade 3 concussion with loss of consciousness at the scene. CT scan was clear, though, and an MRI showed no signs of internal bleeding." Her voice was flat, unwavering. Like she was reading a grocery list out loud. Not listing her daughter's injuries.

"Some defensive wounds on the back of her hands. Bruises on her face, upper arms, wrists, hips, stomach and thighs." Gibbs could almost detect a crack in her voice at the last words, but he wasn't sure if he'd just imagined it. "There are shallow ligature marks on her wrists from when they tied her up, and a bruised rib from a hard kick to the stomach." She blinked a few times, leaning her head back against the wall.

"It took seven stitches to close the gash on her forehead. Another five on a cut on the back of her left hip." She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Looking away from Gibbs, she took another big sip of coffee, closing her eyes before continuing.

"There are finger shaped bruises all around her neck from where he choked her. And claw marks from when she tried to get him to let go." When she turned back to look at him, there was a fire in her eyes. "They didn't try to kill her, Gibbs. They just wanted to keep her quiet while they hurt her." She closed her eyes, and it almost sounded as if she'd gotten her emotions completely back under control.

"She has trouble breathing and she can barely speak. Her throat is so _swollen_ and _bruised,_ and she's constantly dizzy and nauseous." She shook her head and returned her gaze to the very interesting bare wall in front of her. "She almost cries from the pain of trying to swallow. The doctors are pretty certain it will pass on its own in a few days' time, but they're still keeping a close eye on her, in case it turns more severe or there are repercussions from the oxygen deprivation that haven't appeared yet."

"They're keeping her?" Ziva nodded, not taking her eyes off the wall.

"At least for 24 hours for observation. That and the concussion." For a few minutes, neither of them spoke.

"What the hell _happened_?" His voice was low, sharp.

"She went to the high school to run, and someone hit her on the head with a rock. Knocked her out for long enough to move her." Ziva tore her eyes from the wall, looking towards the door shielding them from her daughter. But she wasn't seeing anything.

"Tali is… _confused_. The details are fuzzy." Of course they were. Blackouts and memory loss weren't uncommon side effects of either concussions or the deprivation of oxygen. Plus her own brain might be trying to protect her from a very traumatic experience. But he knew Ziva was well aware of that as well. "She couldn't say if she recognized them, or if they used a condom."

" _They_?" He'd noticed her use of that word earlier as well, but this time he couldn't ignore it.

"Yes." She gave a small nod, eyes still not seeing anything. "She thinks there were two of them, likely high school boys as they seemed a bit older. But she couldn't say for sure." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "She's pretty certain only one of them raped her, though." This time, when her voice broke, Gibbs knew he hadn't imagined it.

"The other one just watched." She let out a disgusted chuckle. "He watched and laughed and helped hold her down while his friend…" She cut herself off, unable to finish. The lid of her cup popped off as she squeezed it too tight, but she never seemed to notice. "Abby will have to confirm that, of course." When she looked at him once more, the fire in her eyes almost scared Gibbs. But he completely understood.

"How is she?" She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She almost seemed confused at the question. "She asleep?" She shook her head, pointing to the door with the hand that held her now cold coffee.

"Tony's with her."

"You coming in?" She looked away, and he knew the answer without her having to say anything.

"I convinced them to bring the evidence to NCIS." He raised an eyebrow, knowing that metro didn't easily hand over cases. "Our lab works a lot faster." She offered him a smirk that didn't reach her eyes, and he didn't even want to think about the hell Ziva would have put the metro cops through to win that argument. Especially considering the conflict of interest.

"Ziva-"

"McGee went to the crime scene." It was almost as if she hadn't heard him. "They refused to let me go, so I called McGee. He joined the officers already there to ensure they didn't mess up." There was an anger in her voice, and he couldn't blame her. It was only natural that she wanted to ensure the people handling this knew what they were doing.

"He should be back at NCIS by now. Abby should have all the evidence."

"You sure you want her to run it?" The look she sent him clearly asked if he was crazy. But he meant it. Abby was the best at what she did, there was no doubt about it. But she was also still Abby. She'd be even more thorough than usual, if that was even possible, but this was her self-appointed niece. Her best friends' daughter.

And she would have to process all the evidence. Process the rape kit.

It would break her heart.

And even more than that, would Tali want her to? She had nothing to be ashamed of, of course, and he was going to make damn sure she knew that. But still. It wasn't just the swaps and the samples. There was the clothes, all of it, the evidence from the scene, the statements and descriptions and time lines of the event. Likely even photos.

Despite knowing it was procedure, despite that fact that none of it was her own fault, it suddenly all just seemed so personal and _invasive_ when the victim was his surrogate granddaughter. Yes, it meant to help; to help them catch the bastards who thought it was okay to rape others. But that didn't make the actual process any less cruel to the already traumatized victim.

"You headed to NCIS?" He already knew the answer, but she still nodded. "Tell them I'll be by in the morning." She nodded again. He couldn't have stopped her even if he wanted to, and he knew that. She pushed away from the wall, starting to walk off when he grabbed her upper arm.

"Hey." He pulled her back to him, placing his lips right by her ear. "We'll get them." He placed a lingering kiss on her hair, just above her ear. "And she'll be alright, Ziver. We'll make sure of that." When he caught her eyes, she didn't really seem to believe him. But she offered him a last stiff nod before she turned and walked away, leaving him alone in the hallway.

* * *

"Hey kiddo."

"Hi." He carefully closed the door behind him and walked to the bed, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

"Can't sleep?" She shook her head, careful not to aggravate the headache that was most certainly still there. Even in the dimmed light, her injuries were impossible to miss. Gibbs didn't even want to try to imagine how crappy she must be feeling.

"Where's mom?" He suddenly wished he'd fought harder to make her stay. _Forced her_ to stay. He'd had to strain just to understand Tali's words, her hoarse voice barely there. But the confusion was still so obvious that it was almost painful to hear.

"She had to take care of a few things, princess, but she'll be back in the morning." Tony's voice was calm, reassuring, as he gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. But the look he sent his former boss was anything but certain of his words.

"Her loss, cause I come bearing gifts." Sending her a wink, Gibbs pretty much dumped a pizza box in Tony's lap. It was after 2 am, and judging by the longing look in Tony's eyes as he picked up the box, Gibbs had been right to assume that none of them had had any dinner yet.

"Boss, I think I might just be in love with you." Gibbs almost chuckled, knowing it was Tony's stomach talking as he opened the lid and breathed in his favorite smell.

"There's pineapple on half of it, in case you were still awake." She pushed herself up from the partially reclined bed, but hesitated once she met her father's eyes.

"You wanna give it a try, baby?" She subconsciously brought a hand to her throat, and the uncertain, almost scared look in her eyes just about killed Gibbs.

"It's okay, I got backup." Holding out the tray of drinks, he offered her another wink. "Coffee with extra sugar for your dad and a milkshake for my girl."

"Vanilla?" Her eyes lit up as she accepted the drink, and he placed another gentle kiss on her head.

"Always." As she started sipping the cold drink, he placed a bag on the end of her bed. "Brough you some of the extra clothes and PJs you've left at my place, and the NCIS sweater you always end up using instead." This time she responded with a real smile, and he knew she probably hated the hospital gown as much as her parents always had.

Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a white, fluffy, super soft rabbit. "And since we all know hospitals suck and the beds are _never_ comfortable." He handed her the stuffed animal, and she instantly curled her arm around it. "You're never too old for one of these."

The rabbit had been a spur of the moment decision. He saw it when he stopped for the drinks and didn't even think twice before buying it. Considering what she'd just been through, having something soft to curl up with while stuck in the hospital might be nice.

"Thank you. I love it."

When Tony's phone rang, all three of them turned towards the sound. Not a lot of people would be calling at 2 am.

"I'm gonna go take this outside. Will you be okay in here?" She nodded, but looked on with an almost worried look on her face as he got up and left the room.

"Mom?"

"I don't know." He honestly didn't. He doubted it, though. It seemed much more likely to be McGee or Abby.

"They're talking about me." She was still staring at the door her father had just left through. He took the milkshake from her and put it on the bedside table, careful with the closed off IV port in her hand as he grabbed it with his much bigger one.

"They're just worried about you, Kiddo."

"I'm okay." She still wasn't looking at him, and she didn't sound all that convincing.

"Hey." She jumped slightly when he placed a finger under her chin to turn her face towards him, but he wasn't sure if it was from the touch itself or because he'd surprised her. And maybe he'd prefer not to know. "Look at me." She did.

"You're allowed to not be okay. You know that, don't you?" Her gaze slipped from his, but she didn't pull away.

"I guess."

"Tali." He let go of her chin and instead pushed he loose hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her head as he did so. "I'm _here_. We're _all_ here for you. Whatever you need." Using the hand already on her head, he pulled her close enough the kiss her forehead.

She was shaking slightly, and Gibbs knew the conversation was making her uncomfortable.

"Never be afraid to talk to us. About this or anything else." It was nothing more than a whisper, but this time he received a small nod. When he pulled her closer, Tali easily fell into his embrace. She didn't return it, but Gibbs didn't mind. He wasn't often this affectionate, but for now he was happy to just hold her for however long she'd let him.

He was going to do everything he could to make sure she got through this. 

* * *

**What do you think? Liked it? :)**  
 **I don't know, I feel like I couldn't quite get them all 'just right'.. So they might have seemed somewhat out of character.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait, guys.**  
 **This was one of the chapters I didn't have written before posting the story. For some reason I had a really hard time with this, and I am NOT a fan of how it turned out :( But I've kept you waiting for long enough, so I was like 'screw it! I'll just post it'. (the problem with having the start and the ending of a story written..)**

 **Also, thank you guys so much for the reviews! Esp Acrwdof1 for the very thorough review and ideas. I tried, as you can hopefully tell. But I figured that I'll have to pretend you can take some liberties with fanfics ;) I'm sure this is NOT how a case like this would be dealt with in real life, but let's just pretend it is! Hehe**

 **Anyways, ENJOY!**

* * *

The lab was silent but for the humming of the various machines, the frantic typing and the occasional frustrated huff of air coming from scientist. Ziva had been standing in the doorway for a few minutes, simply watching her friend work, but Abby hadn't noticed her presence yet.

Neither had the FBI agent slumped against the wall under the windows, but Ziva chose to simply ignore him, as it seemed Abby did as well. She knew why he was there, understood that he was there to make sure everything was handled by the book. They had no jurisdiction in this case, it was all FBI, and it had been hell convincing Metro and the FBI to send all the evidence to the NCIS lab.

So now they were stuck with a babysitter to ensure their personal connections didn't interfere with the investigation. She understood that, but it didn't mean she liked it.

"Abby." She pushed off the wall to enter the lab properly as Abby spun around, eyes widening when they fell on her best friend.

"Ziva!" She hesitated for only a second before meeting Ziva mid-stride, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. "Oh my God!"

"What do you have?"

"How is Tali? Is she okay? Is-"

"Abby!" She finally managed to break out of the strong embrace, making it the rest of the way to the computer. She knew Abby meant well, that she too was hurting because of what happened and likely needed that physical comfort herself. But it was the last thing Ziva herself wanted at that moment.

She wanted answers.

"What did you find?" Abby hesitated, wringing her hands as she looked around the lab, eyes falling on the agent who'd now straightened up against the wall. and Ziva felt her already very low patience slip away. "Today, please!"

"Well I haven't really-"

"Abby!" She'd save feeling bad about how she spoke to her friend for another day.

"You aren't supposed to be here." Her voice was so small, almost scared of bringing it up as her eyes shifted back and forth between the two people in the room, and somehow Ziva knew she should have expected it. But right now, she honestly didn't give a crap about the conflict of interest.

"Well then it's a good thing I'm not!" The angry look she sent the scientist was full of fire, promising that arguing with her would do no good. When she felt the man behind her move, ready to speak up, she spun around to stare him down with an even more hostile glare. "I'm _not_ touching anything!"

"I don't have much yet." At Ziva's look she went to the table behind them. "Really. I _just_ got the SAFE kit from the hospital and haven't even gotten started on that yet." She pointed to the big box on the table, lots of clear evidence bags visible inside. Tali's clothes – all of it; the blankets she'd used in the ambulance and the hospital as well as the sheets from the gurneys and the one she'd been standing on as she got out of her clothes and they'd wiped her down, checking for injuries and anything left behind by the boys who did this to her – all folded up neatly and sent to Abby. All the swaps and samples and pictures they'd taken. The shoelace they'd pulled from her shoe and tied her hands with when they finished so they'd have time to get away. The records of what had been done to her little girl.

Ziva wasn't sure whether to be relieved not to have to revisit it all again already, or be frustrated that Abby didn't already have all the answers for her.

"So what _do_ you have?"

"I've been processing the evidence McGee brought me from the scene." She audibly swallowed a huge lump, and Ziva could tell her best friend was fighting really hard not to let the tears in her eyes fall. She almost felt bad for her anger. Almost.

"And?"

"There were two scenes. They found her phone by the bleachers, and someone stepped on it and broke it. I'm testing all the glass to see if the shoe left any traces behind." She pointed to what used to be a cellphone, currently lying on top of the evidence bag as Abby was working on it. "That rock has Tali's blood on it, so it was probably what they used to hit her head with." Abby's voice hitched, and Ziva had to force the images of Tali's bloody face from her mind.

"They found her blood on the ground by the cafeteria as well." She went to the computer, and with a few keystrokes brought up a picture on the screen. Ziva had to close her eyes, but she doubted that picture would ever disappear from her memories again.

It wasn't like there was that much blood, but there was enough. Just seeing that, knowing that her baby had been hurt there, it was enough to make Ziva nauseous. The main blood smear would've been from the back of her, but there were other tiny ones spread out on the ground at the edge of the courtyard. Were they from her head? The back of her hands? From thrashing around, trying to get loose?

A pile of puke was lying by the blood, and just a few feet away was Tali's discarded running shoe, sans shoelace.

"Got some hairs, some spit, some shoe prints by both of the scenes. I'm trying to pull any trace of DNA on everything McGee brought me, in case we don't get any from the SAFE kit."

"Anything yet?"

"The tests are still running." Noticing her friend's impatient glare, Abby went back to her nervous wringing of her hands. "It's the cafeteria grounds of the high school, Ziva. And the bleachers! McGee brought me everything he could find! Most of it belongs to the thousands of students who hang out there every day. I haven't had much time yet, and the machines are still running all the analysis."

"Then work _faster_." Abby took a step back, looking like Ziva had just physically slapped her. She knew her demand wasn't fair, but right now she couldn't get herself to care about that. "I want to know who did this."

"I'm doing everything I _can_ , Ziva! I love Tali, too, you know?" She had to look away. Yes, she did know, of course she did. Abby had come in, in the middle of the night, to run things that could have waited until the morning. Things that, theoretically, should have been run by the FBI and not them.

"And _you_ should be at the hospital, with Tali." That made her attention snap back to her now yelling friend. "There's _nothing_ for you to do here. I'm running all the evidence, and McGee will get whatever security footage the school has tomorrow. _You_ need to go be with your daughter!" Ziva was almost speechless. Tears were pouring down Abby's cheeks, but she sounded so mad. She couldn't really blame her.

"Tony's there, and Tali needs to sleep." With a glare sent in the direction of the silent FBI agent, Ziva headed towards the exit. "I'll be upstairs. Call me when you have anything." Hurrying towards the elevator, Ziva angrily wiped away the tears threatening to spill down her own cheeks.

* * *

"Hey!" Blinking her eyes open, Ziva barely managed to lift her head from the desk before she felt a hand sharply connecting to the back of it.

"Gibbs?" The head slaps had disappeared with Gibbs when he retired a few years earlier, and she couldn't say she missed them. "What time is it?" She must have fallen asleep.

"Get out of here, Ziva." He was just standing there, staring at her while sipping his coffee, but she ignored his as she moved the mouse on the computer to get the screen to light up, checking the time in the bottom corner. It was almost 8 am. "Go."

"No." She shook head without taking her eyes off the screen, but her hands stilled on the keyboard mid-password, as Gibbs entered her personal space, coffee discarded and hands on the desk, leaning close and forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Ziver. Hospital. _Now_." She held his gaze, ignoring the many pairs of eyes turned towards them. How had she managed to sleep through McGee, Agent Jones, the two FBI agents and Gibbs coming into the office?

"I have to finish this first. And I am going to talk to the high school about the security tapes."

"Actually, we're headed there in 10 minutes." She tore her eyes from Gibbs to see McGee point to one of the FBI agents she hadn't bothered to learn the name of, giving her a look that told her not to argue.

"They can watch those without you, Ziver." In other words, he didn't want her to see those tapes, if they even existed. "Your daughter needs you."

"She _needs_ me to _find_ the bastards who did this to her."

"And we will." He leaned in even closer, and she had to fight the urge to pull away. "But _you_ can't be here."

"She's my daughter, Gibbs." She was angry now, and placing her hands on her desk she pushed herself up, fire burning in her eyes.

"Exactly." The word was spoken so evenly, with no emotion. Making it sound so final. And Ziva almost wanted to strangle him. "Vance and the FBI have this under control, Ziva. They're only letting us help as a show of good faith, as long as everything is done by the book and handled by the FBI agents. Because our lab isn't as backed up and they understand our urgency." He talked to her like she was a little child, and she hated it.

"You're not even an agent anymore." If _she_ couldn't be there, then he definitely couldn't either. The tiny, unamused smirk on his lips only infuriated her more.

"No, but someone has to keep you in check. Vance's orders." His eyes left her long enough to send a quick look in the direction of Vance's office, and she couldn't help but wonder when they'd all worked out all these things without her knowledge. When they'd decided she needed a babysitter.

"Go to hell, Gibbs!" Her anger didn't faze him. Rolling his eyes, he pulled back and dumped his cell phone on the table in front of her.

"Call him, Ziver." He'd left the bullpen before she was able to form a response, headed down to Abby's lab, no doubt. Maybe even going to Vance's office. She didn't know and she didn't care.

Ignoring the other people in the bullpen she fell back in her chair, pulling her own phone out of her pocket. Dead. Of course. So she grabbed Gibbs', spinning it around in her hand as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she tried to get her thoughts back under control.

It wasn't until McGee and the FBI agent left that she got up and made her way to their usual private corner behind the staircase to call Tony.

* * *

 **There you go. Hope it wasn't too bad!**  
 **Let me know?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, I know, I've been gone for like a year! (Sorry!)**  
 **First I got so crazy stuck halfway through this chapter, then my dad died, then my granddad's sister died, and a whole bunch of other stuff happened... but then a few days ago I suddenly got a bit of my writing spirit back, so I finished the chapter. (Had to! Still have my favorite parts already written for further along the story ;) )**

 **Honestly, though, I'm _really_ not a fan of this chapter. I never planned for this (long, main) scene, so I don't know what happened or where it came from. Also why I got stuck, cause somehow it just didn't fit with where I was going. So I didn't really know how to get back out of it, but I also knew that if I scrapped it all I'd never get back to fully rewriting it.**

 **So now you get it anyways. It's something, right? Better than nothing, hopefully ;) (Still not sure if it works with the Ziva I'm trying to portray, though).**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

 _The bruises were much more pronounced than they'd been the previous evening._

That was the first thing Ziva noticed as she entered her Tali's hospital room an hour later, carrying a bag with clean clothes and food for the two people currently occupying the room. It was to be expected, of course, but those deep blues and greens and purples standing out against her daughter's pale skin and the white of the of the hospital room made her heart clench and physically hurt.

"Hi ima." She looked up from the game of Ludo she was playing with Tony. Her voice was still raw and weak, though less strained, and Ziva had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could speak.

"Hi motek." The teenage girl was clearly happy to see her, almost relieved, but Tony was a different story. She couldn't make out the look in his eyes - worry, maybe. Perhaps suspicion, disapproval. She couldn't be bothered trying to find out, so she ignored him and focused her attention on Tali.

Leaving the bag on the floor, she placed a hand on the back of Tali's head and leaned in to kiss her forehead on the side that wasn't stitched up. "Sleep well?"

"Mmm." The non-specific response was joined by a rising shoulder, and Ziva let it slide. She knew all too well how elusive sleep could be with the injuries and the memories. Tali would tell her if she wanted to, or Tony would, if there was something she needed to know. Wouldn't they?

She pulled back, not letting go of Tali's head, and tried to read the look in her daughter's eyes. She wasn't surprised when Tali tried to evade her gaze, however, clearly uncomfortable.

"Did they find my phone." Her phone. Her phone with the broken glass, the black screen that wouldn't come lo life. Her phone, which had been found in the grass by the bleachers, stepped on with so much force that it was irreversibly damaged.

It was _just_ a phone, but Ziva couldn't help but feel like it symbolized so much more.

"No phone, babe. Not until the concussion clears." Tony must have sensed her hesitation, and she offered him a quick grateful smile as Tali pulled away from her, letting out sigh of annoyance.

"So, who's winning?" She tilted her head towards the game, hoping to lighten the mood, but Tali just pulled the sleeves of the too large NCIS sweater over her hands and shrugged.

"We keep getting interrupted."

"Want me to kick your butt?" Sitting down on top of the covers next to Tali, she chose to take the lack of an instant response as a 'not-no'. "I'll be red. You don't have to start over." They clearly hadn't gotten very far, so she picked up the four red bricks and put them in her home square, handing the dice to her daughter along with a quick kiss to her cheek.

* * *

They hadn't been playing long – Tony was taking his third turn – when there was once again a knock on the door.

Ziva wasn't surprised when the younger of the two FBI agents from the bullpen that morning entered. She had been expecting him, awaiting him, but her annoyance at seeing him there still overshadowed her relief. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate his reason for coming, she just hated the fact that the FBI had to be there at all.

"Did you get them?" He ignored her despite her demanding tone, focusing instead on the teenager besides her, and Ziva pretended not to notice the incredulous look Tony sent her.

"Tali DiNozzo?" The teenager tensed up slightly, and Tony quickly grabbed his daughter's hand.

"Yes?"

"I'm Agent Fischer of the FBI, and I'm one of the agents working on your case." Tali nodded, squeezing Tony's hand, and Ziva could swear she felt the energy in the room flip. Her daughter was shaking slightly, while trying to be brave; Tony tried to be comforting, but Ziva felt the worry and confusion radiate off of him; and Ziva herself, well, that was much harder. She was pretty sure the fire rushing through her veins was pure anger, however.

"Agent Fischer, I'm Special Agent DiNozzo. Tony." He stood up and shook the younger man's hand, never letting go of Tali's with the other. "What can we do for you?"

"I would like to ask you a few questions, Tali, if you feel up to it?"

"Okay." Her voice was shaky, unconvinced, and Ziva wasn't sure if she wanted to hug her or shake her, or maybe beat up the stupid FBI agent for causing it. Pulling out a small notebook and a pen, he sat down in an unoccupied chair a bit away from the bed, and Ziva easily recognized the gesture as trying to seem less imposing.

Not that it made her any less angry.

"Can you walk me through what happened yesterday?"

"Are you taking her official statement?" Tony sounded almost as angry as she was, but he beat her to it. The other agent, however, didn't seem at all fazed by the little outburst.

"We need to know as much-"

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. I just…" He broke off, squeezing his eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "It's so soon, and…" Lifting a shoulder in a small shrug, he waved his hand around in the air. "I thought we'd have to come in after she'd been released."

Not to mention that the metro detectives had already asked questions the previous night. They hadn't gone into too many details, though, especially not once they realized the victim's parents were both US federal agents, automatically making it FBI jurisdiction.

"Special circumstances." He offered them a sympathetic smile, and Ziva wanted nothing more than to kick it off his face. Punch it off? Scratch it off? "And with the urgency of this case-"

"She'll do it." Her voice was strong and unwavering, and succeeded in making Agent Fischer shut up. She didn't care about the subtle, shocked, almost angry glare sent her way by her partner, or even that Tali tensed up even more besides her. She just wanted that man to stop talking, to stop looking at them with that sad, polite attempt at an understanding look. He was nothing but a stranger, and there was no way he could ever understand what they were dealing with.

"Ziva!"

"The faster they get this information-"

"I _know_." Yes, he _did_. He knew how this worked. So why was he fighting her? How could he just sit here, perfectly fine, knowing those two boys were still out there, free? And why was he glaring at her like _she_ was the enemy? "But that doesn't mean she-"

"Dad." Tali's quiet voice was enough to make him stop, and they both turned their attention to their daughter, who was gripping Tony's hand so hard her knuckles had turned white. "It's okay."

"You don't have to do this, baby. Not yet." She looked away, but her grip relaxed slightly as he started caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Yes."

"No. It can wait." She shook her head, still not looking back at them, and Ziva was almost ready to kill Tony for not listening to Tali, and for not backing her up in getting this done.

"I have to try." When she looked back at Tony there were tears glistering in her eyes, and she sounded everything but convinced of her own decision as she spoke. "I want to."

Tony quickly left his chair and joined them on the bed, on Tali's other side. Leaving a kiss on top of her head he pulled her forehead in to lean against his own, taking great care not to aggravate her injuries there.

"You're so brave, my girl. But you can stop whenever you want to, okay?" She simply squeezed the hand that had never let go of her own, almost melting into her father's touch, as if sucking out the strength she needed from him.

"It will be okay, Tali. You can do this." She drew in a last breath before pulling away from Tony, wiping her eyes for the tears that had yet to fall before turning to her mom, offering her a nod she hoped made her look brave.

"What do you need to know?"

"Just tell me whatever you remember. As many details as possible." She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but when no sound came out, Tony squeezed her hand.

"Just start from the beginning. Take as much time as you need." She did, and no one pushed her to start talking until she was ready.

"I was standing by the bleachers next to the high school, and I was reading a text message, or maybe replying to one. I'm really not sure."

"No worries. Do you know what time it was?" She shook her head, but quickly stopped when the pain from the concussion hit, closing her eyes in an attempt to make it go away. And Ziva wanted nothing more than to find the bastards who caused her baby girl to hurt like that – find them and make them hurt just as much.

"It was staring to get dark, and…" she tried pulling her hand from Tony's, but he didn't let her. "And I was supposed to run back home, but I-"

"Hey, it's okay." The look in Tony's eyes was clearly trying to be reassuring, but Ziva didn't believe it worked. "We can get the time stamps from the text messages." Agent Fischer offered a short nod, knowing the last statement was mostly meant for him.

"Go on when you're ready, Tali."

"I don't really remember it, but the doctor said they hit my head with a rock." Her free hand subconsciously went to her forehead, and Ziva had to look away, focusing instead on the notebook the FBI agent was scribbling his notes in.

"Did you notice anyone approaching you?"

"No." A quick glance was sent in Ziva's direction before she looked back at her free hand in her lap. Ziva wasn't sure, but Tali seemed almost embarrassed in that split second. "I was listening to music, and I wasn't paying attention, and…" She bit her lower lip as she drifted off, and Tony was quick to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"What happened, then, Tali?"

"I don't-" She squeezed her eyes shut, bringing her free hand up to rub away the still unshed tears. "I woke up somewhere else, and I… I was on the ground." Swallowing hard was apparently the wrong thing to do with her sore throat, but her hand barely touched the bruised skin before Ziva handed her a glass of water, which the girl gratefully took a few sips from.

"I think someone was sitting on me, and I tried to get away, but then someone was laughing and they grabbed my arms really hard…" She bit her lip, and Tony reassuringly rubbed her back, pulling her further into his arms. "I must have screamed or said something, cause there was a hand over my mouth. And I probably bit him, cause one of them hit me."

"So there was one boy on top of you?" A small nod.

"Yes."

"And another..?" Ziva understood his reason for asking – Tali wasn't exactly being too clear, and the details _were_ important. But it didn't stop her from wanting to hit the agent in the jugular. He was clearly making her little girl very uncomfortable, and his questions only seemed to make her more unsure of herself.

"I'm not sure. He was moving around, I think." _Perhaps on the lookout for anyone accidentally finding them._ "But they were talking."

"What about?" She started shaking her head, but quickly stopped to shrug her shoulders instead, never pulling away from Tony's arms.

"Don't know. I wasn't really listening."

"That's okay, baby." Tony dropped a kiss on her head, trying to reassure her. "You're doing great." Ziva wasn't surprised that she didn't remember, and she knew Tony wasn't either. Even if she _had_ heard them, it only made sense she didn't register anything that was said.

Regaining conscience like that? Tali must have been scared out of her mind.

"Go on, Tali." The girl took a deep breath as well as she could, and Tony tightened his embrace on her.

"It's really hard to remember. It all happened so fast." Her voice wavered, and Ziva gave her hand a squeeze. Had the fist to her face knocked her out again?

"I must have struggled, I think, cause they were holding my shoulders and my hips and… and my pants were…" This time the tears did fall from Tali's green eyes as a shudder went through her whole body, and Ziva wanted nothing more than to kill those boys.

"He raped you?" The girl winced at the word, as if physically slapped, but Ziva knew it had to be asked. It had to be _said_ for the official statement, despite the physical proof.

"Yes." Her voice broke, and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I guess I screamed, cause the boy who was… He told me to shut up, and then I couldn't breathe." Both of her small hands flew to her neck, as if remembering the feeling of unsuccessfully grasping for the much-needed air.

She wanted to take her daughter in her arms, hide her from this world and everything that could harm her. Let her know that she was safe again.

But she doubted Tali would hear that, or even appreciate that, right then.

"Did you know him, or the other boy?" She shook her head carefully, but didn't seem entirely sure. "Did you get a good look at either one of them?"

"No. But I think maybe he wore a hoodie."

"What color?" A single shoulder rose in a shrug, and the fleeting – almost apologetic? - glance sent towards Ziva once more made her insides clench. "Do you think you would be able to recognize them if you saw them again, maybe heard their voices?"

She opened her mouth, but instead replied with another uncertain shrug as a few more tears made their way down her cheeks.

"I didn't really look at them, I don't think. It happened _so_ fast." Or perhaps, Ziva figured, she had purposely tried not to look at them. She really couldn't blame her if that was the case. "And my head hurt _so bad_ and everything was _fuzzy_." A sob escaped Tali's throat and she turned into Tony, letting him hug her tightly as he shushed her and kissed the side of her head, attempting to shield and protect her.

"So the other boy didn't-"

"I don't know!" She'd whipped her head towards the FBI agent so fast as she interrupted him, and the hand she brought to her forehead as she closed her eyes indicated how much it must have hurt her already concussed head. "I really don't. But I don't think so." She sniffled and used the hand on her forehead to wipe away some stubborn tears. "It's just all so blurry, and it's like I only remember short flashes."

Was it possible that Tali had been drifting in and out of consciousness the whole time? That between the rock to her temple, the fist to her face and the oxygen deprivation, that she'd never been fully coherent? Ziva wasn't sure whether that though should make her feel slightly relieved or even more upset. Perhaps both.

"Do you remember anything after that?" The FBI agent must have picked up on Tali's uncertainty as well and was trying his hardest not to sound demanding.

"Not sure. I was just trying to breathe and I was coughing and I couldn't catch my breath." She sent a quick look towards both of her parents, looking so lost and confused. "One of them kicked me in the stomach, and then they just… left me there."

"And tied you up?"

"I didn't even notice." She shook her head carefully, looking equally upset and baffled. "They took off my shoe and tied my hands and I didn't notice it until I tried to get up."

"Hey." Tony grabbed her chin, forcing his daughter to look at him. "It's okay." She just nodded, bringing her head under Tony's chin to rest against his chest.

"Everything just hurt _so_ bad." She was crying openly by then, grabbing tightly onto Tony as he desperately tried to comfort his daughter. "I was so dizzy, daddy. And I couldn't breathe and I was so scared." Holding her as close as he possibly could, Tony sent the FBI agent a loaded glare.

"Are we done now?" Agent Fischer almost looked ready to object, but instead offered a sad smile and a nod, both of which went unnoticed by the shaking teenager.

"I'll be in touch." He held out a business card, and Ziva quickly grabbed it from his hands to allow Tony to keep his arms around Tali. "Call me if she remembers anything else."

"Of course." She followed him to the door, shutting it firmly behind him before leaning her forehead against the wood, briefly allowing her eyes to fall shut.

"You okay, babe?" She didn't turn around to see Tali's response, knowing she was most likely nodding at Tony's question, as she didn't hear a reply. She didn't want to look, didn't want to see the damage inflicted by the questions and the pain in her daughter's face. Didn't want to see the sadness and helplessness that burned in Tony's eyes.

That wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"Hurts?" She turned to see Tali still nestled into Tony's embrace, her hand absent-mindedly resting on her throat. Of course it hurt, it hadn't even been a full day yet, and she'd still had a hard time breathing properly even before they started drowning her in questions. Her throat would have to be on fire by now.

"I'll have the nurse bring you something for the pain. You want something cold to drink as well?"

"Soda?"

"If the doc says it's okay." He gave her a wink as he pressed the call-button for the nurses' station, but the girl was clearly much too drained to respond.

"Tali?" She must have sensed the seriousness in Ziva's voice, cause she carefully pulled away from Tony as her mom sat down opposite her on the bed. "I need you to tell me what you remember." Her bruised forehead knitted up and confusion, and Ziva didn't miss how Tony seemed to straighten slightly from behind her.

"I just did...?" She sounded so uncertain, but Ziva simple nodded her head, refusing to let the lost look in her baby's eyes deter her.

"Yes, and you did great. But sometimes the brain tries to repress certain things, if-"

" _Ziva_." He sounded shocked. Mad, even. But Ziva just sent him a quick glare in an attempt to make him shut up.

"If we want to find these boys, Tali, you have to try to remember more of the details about them."

"I'm trying." As a tear left her eye, Tony quickly got up and grabbed Ziva's upper arm, pulling her forcefully away from the bed before the tear had made it even halfway down Tali's cheek.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" He tried to keep the volume down as he pulled her to the opposite wall, despite knowing their daughter would likely hear it all anyway.

"Tony, these are teenage boys. I doubt their DNA or fingerprints will be in any of the databases." He looked at her incredulously.

"Just let the police do their job, Ziva."

"We _are_ the police, Tony, or did you forget?!" Her head tilted to the side, eyes narrowing as her temper flared. His gaze, however, stayed glued to her own; as if challenging her.

"We're the _parents_."

"And what, we cannot be both?"He snuck a quick glance towards the bed to confirm that Tali was indeed watching them.

"No. Clearly not." She pulled back as if he'd slapped her.

"So you _want_ these boys to go free. After what they did to her."

"Of course not." He ground out the words, not believing the conversation they were having. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_? Tony, Tali can identify these boys. Why are you-"

" _No_ , Ziva. She can't. She just told us as much."

She was about to shoot back, with as much anger as Tony had used, when the nurse entered the room. Why was he trying so hard to fight her? Couldn't he see that they could not get through this until those boys were caught? They had hurt their baby girl so horribly – why was he not doing everything he could to catch them?

It's was almost like he'd just accepted what had happened.

He sent a last quick, angry look at her before turning to the nurse, filling her in on what Tali needed. The girl looked exhausted, perhaps even somewhat uncomfortable at what had just transpired, so Ziva went back to the bed and placed a kiss on top of her soft hair.

"Get some rest, motek. I'll be back."

She didn't look at Tony as she left the hospital room, but she felt his eyes burn into her back. If he was going to fight her on this, she'd just have to solve it on her own.

And she wouldn't stop until she'd succeeded.

* * *

 **So yeah, see what I mean? I know Ziva seems a bit crazy in the end (or the whole thing), but that's what I'm going for, after all. She doesn't strike me as someone who'd think logically or stay calm and levelheaded in an event like this. And THAT is what's so fun to explore ;)**  
 **Hope you liked it!  
Let me know?**


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